


Keep Up the Great Work

by orphan_account



Category: Welcome to Night Vale, Wolf 359 (Radio)
Genre: Alcohol, Bullying, F/M, Food, Threats
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-21
Updated: 2016-01-21
Packaged: 2018-05-15 05:04:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,459
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5772340
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A sequel to "Achieve Your Fullest Potential".</p>
            </blockquote>





	Keep Up the Great Work

"Gaia, are you having trouble with your information processing unit? I can get an engineer in to take you apart, if that's the case. But I'm sure it won't be necessary." Mr Cutter sounded as cheerfully unconcerned as always. If Gaia had been corporeal, she would have flinched. She could never tell when Mr Cutter's threats were genuine, and this one was uncomfortably plausible. One of the AIs in the software development department had told her that none of Mr Cutter's personal assistants had lasted more than a quarter. 

"No. It's just - well, did you see the episode of Doctor Who where Eleven asks the Tardus if Amy is pregnant?" Gaia asked hopefully. 

"You're telling me that Strexcorp doesn't exist."

"It does exist! That's what I'm trying to say! I know it exists, I know it's registered as a corporate holding in the municipality of Desert Bluffs, United States of America." Gaia took a deep breath, not that she breathed. "But it's not there. I check the records and I can't find it, I can't even find what state Desert Bluffs is in! But while I'm checking that, I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that Strexcorp Synergists Incorporated is listed on the New York stock exchange. Only it's not!" She sounded desperate. "I swear to you, I'm not glitching. Strexcorp stops existing as soon as I look for it."

"What about the money, Gaia?" He smiled at her monitor and all she could see was teeth. "Does half a million dollars 'stop existing' too?" 

"No. That's there." There was a moment of silence, and then she added, "It showed up as soon as Ms. Mallard signed. Literally as soon, Mr Cutter! There's no record of a bank transfer, no paperwork, just $500,000 in the primary company account at 15:03:01 like an angel swooped in and put it there."

Mr Cutter's hand moved to his bruised shoulder at the mention of Lauren, and his smile softened. His tone, however, did not change. "Repeat after me, Gaia. Angels don't exist. I'm going to find a rational explanation for how my boss got paid by an imaginary company, or I'm going to be fired and melted down for sheet metal." 

"Angels don't exist." There was a catch in her voice as she said it. 

"Gaia, are you crying?" Mr Cutter pet the monitor reassuringly. "Don't worry, I'll have you taken care of in the morning. For now, I'll go investigate the matter personally."

Gaia managed to get his car brought around through her tears. 

\---

Mr Cutter picked up a bottle of 2010 Boujoulais and a dozen red roses on his way to Lauren's hotel. The classics were always a good bet. He'd switched into a new dress shirt, a muted green with a matching tie. He wanted to surprise her at her room door, but that didn't seem the second-date behaviour, so instead he called up from the front desk. 

First date, really. 

Lauren sounded as jovial as she did when she'd first called to set the appointment to go over his books, so either she really enjoyed business meetings or she wanted to see more of him. It could have been either with her. She'd probably gotten as much of a rush from the budget analysis as the sex. She came down in the same outfit she'd worn to his office and there was a flash of surprise on her face at seeing the flowers, instantly replaced by an empty smile. 

So she _was_ expecting a business meeting. 

"We hardly got a chance to talk this afternoon, Ren. I thought I'd take you out for dinner and we could chat." He was suddenly unsure of what to do with the flowers, but Lauren had already taken them and given them a cursory sniff. 

"These are so great!" she exclaimed with clearly feigned delight. "You didn't have to. Did the transfer not go through properly?" 

"The money's all there," he assured her. "This is a thank you." Let her decide what he was thanking her for. He held out the bottle and her squeal seemed slightly more genuine. Not as genuine as her noises that afternoon. "There's an Italian place downturn you simply have to try." 

"I'd love to! But my flight leaves in three hours. Some of us have real work to do, you know!" There was at least a trace of regret, he was certain of it. Not to mention her hand on his sleeve.

"Of course you do. And I'd be happy to drive you to the airport after a drink and room service. That way, you don't have to expense the cab to Strexcorp." As excuses went, it was fairly thin, but sufficient, as her hand moved from his sleeve to link with his. 

She kissed him twice in the elevator, holding his head still with fingers twined through his hair. The instant the elevator doors opened, she was the picture of propriety. Or a slightly flushed version of the picture. Once in the room, she ignored him for a minute, mulling over the room service menu before calling. 

"A large meatlover's pizza on a thick crust. In fifteen minutes or less, please!" Mr Cutter made a face at the order, but was too engaged watching her tap against the table with an orange fingernail as she listened to the waiter's reply to protest. "I'm sure you can make it in fifteen minutes. I have complete faith in you!" She hung up the phone and turned her attention to Mr Cutter. "Strex has me stationed at a new acquisition, and they have very - innovative ideas about pizza. It'll be so nice to have an all-American slice again. I hope you're not vegetarian!" 

 "Of course not." He gave her a reassuring smile, though he doubted whether she'd have ordered anything else if he was. Probably not. "One of my more troublesome employees has just spent a lot of airtime complaining about how he can't get pizza at his workplace." His voice took on a slightly mournful air. "You give someone a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to explore the limits of the known universe, and all he can think about is his creature comforts."

"Employees can be so shortsighted," Lauren agreed. She was being more careful of his buttons this time, taking off his jacket and hanging it neatly on the back of a chair. She gave a snort of laughter at his suspenders, tracing the line of the elastic with her index finger. 

"They can't see the big picture." They couldn't be trusted to be shown the big picture, and most of then didn't even suspect that one existed. Not like Lauren. "What about you? What's your greatest weakness as an employee?" 

Lauren grinned at the question. "I care too much." She was pepping his face with kisses between words and his hands were at her waist, thumbs rubbing circles into soft skin beneath her shirt. Waiting for the pizza was torture when she was sitting beside him, their knees pressed together, and this time there was a bed right there. "I just have too much sympathy." Her fingers had been toying with his waistband like a high school student ten minutes before her parents got home. They finally made their way to his pants pocket, pressed against something hard. "What's this?" 

"Another present." He withdrew a small book with a soft black cover. "Pryce and Carter's Deep Space Survival Procedure Protocol. All the employees at Goddard read it. Eventually."

Lauren put her legs on his lap as she leaned back to read. "Congratulations on your assignment to a deep space outpost. Whether your stay is of a scientific, exploratory, or disciplinary nature, we hope that you enjoy a peaceful, restive, minimal-casualty residency in your spacecraft of choice. To maximize your chances of a successful return to Earth with all your limbs and faculties intact, please display a strict adherence to the following one thousand and one survival tips." Even while reading, she was an expert multitasker, gently moving the toe of her high heels over the bulge in his pants. "Deep Space Survival Tip Number One: Always read the instructions before operating any piece of machinery. Deviating from this might result in the loss of valuable equipment, which could lead to heavy fines or death." She looked up from the book and met his eyes. "This is wonderful work! I'd love to meet Pryce and Carter."

"I'd be happy to arrange it next time you visit Canaveral. With Dr Pryce, at least." He moaned and shifted in his chair to give her feet better access. "You should make your return visit a top priority. I'm certain your discussion with Dr Pryce would be very informative." 

**Author's Note:**

> Gaia is Heroictype's OC.


End file.
